


Ashore to Town

by epiphyllous



Series: that's why life is so fun [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: AU with you as a member, Budding Love, F/F, F/M, Friendship/Love, Gen, Humor, Male-Female Friendship, POV Second Person, Pre-Canon, Reader-Insert, Worldbuilding, friendship but you know the reader is already in love with luffy from day one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 23:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20105704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epiphyllous/pseuds/epiphyllous
Summary: Looking back at it now, you should have known you were done for the moment he laughed, proceeded to grab onto you with his rubbery hands and refused to let go.So you suppose Luffy was right after all.You had been a part of his crew from the very beginning.(And you were okay with that.)-or-Snapshots from the moment you arrive in this world until the moment you set sail on the Going Merry as a member of the Strawhat Pirates. And if you just so happen to become a pirate and save some people on the way, that’s just how it goes when you meet someone like Luffy.





	Ashore to Town

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this when I was stressed, and it just... kept going! I love being able to explore and be free, so here is the culmination of everything I could ever want! 
> 
> self-indulgant fic, but I hope you can enjoy it too! 
> 
> (highkey bi-reader)

The moment you realized you were alone in a place you couldn't recognize and without a clue on how to get home, you started to cry. Big, gasping sobs that shook your body and left you scraping your knees on the planks of an empty dock.

But eventually, the sun started to set and your stomach growled, so you wiped your tears (though a few more fell soon after) and stood up to find a place to rest.

You walked into town, which was really just a few steps away from the shore, trying not to look as lost as you felt. Looking around, you tried to find any signs that would help you identify where you were. It seemed like this was a civilized island, with no other places in sight, a lighthouse a distance away and-- _ oh. _

You stepped into the town square and looked at the execution stand that towered in the middle, remembering the instant when lightning struck and saved a rubber boy and the moment the Pirate King died.

_ I’m in Loguetown _, you thought dazily, wondering how on earth, out of all places, you were somewhere that shouldn't even be real.

-

You woke up feeling hungry, but at least you found a place to stay before the night got cold. Since yesterday, you were officially a barmaid, and with the morning crow of a rooster, you dress yourself and begin your training to serve, entertain, and brew.

You slept almost immediately after you drop yourself onto the bed, but now you had food, a roof over your head, and a somewhat steady income. Your coworkers were pleasant enough; didn't ask questions, much to your relief. (You wouldn't be able to answer them without looking like a fool anyhow.)

You were dealing with your sudden displacement very well, if you had to say so yourself. But maybe a small part of you hoped you were still dreaming and you were just in denial, regardless of how ridiculous the dream may be. Nonetheless, it wasn't a pleasant feeling to wake up to the sounds of an unfamiliar clocktower rather than an alarm clock from your phone.

Still, what else could you do but adapt? Sure, you still cried when you were at your loneliest, but at least you made a good friend in Margarette, your fellow barmaid. Yes, reality was such a terrifying thing, but you still had enough hope to dream that maybe one day you would no longer be sad. And hopefully you'd explore the world instead.

You had no idea on how to get back home, but you would play with the cards you were dealt. (How else would you be able to cope otherwise?)

In any way, you were sure that was what your parents would have wanted for you.

You closed your eyes with that last thought in mind, wishing for pleasant dreams.

-

After days turned to weeks, it was difficult to tell how long you had been here, so you measure the passing time with your strength and the count of savings.

It was undeniable that you had grown stronger both physically (the arms of a waitress who carried a thousand glasses; you wonder how Margarette still kept her slender arms) and mentally. You spent less nights crying, not that you missed your home any less, but rather found more things to enjoy or look forward to.

You buy yourself a shield and sword, just because you've always wanted to. And you stay up late and go to the beach in the dusk of night just because you could. You speak your mind more often and dream of sailing out on the open seas without care. (And you wonder if coming here had changed you or you were just always like this.)

Such freedoms, you realized, came at a cost. It was still such a foreign feeling to be autonomous-- to be the only one calling the shots on your life. You didn't have to do something if you didn't want to; sure, working paid the bills so you had to, but it was really the premise of choice that made it so phenomenal.

You taught yourself how to fight with the sword. You certainly weren't good enough to match with Zoro, or even to fight with anyone in particular, but it was the fulfillment of a childhood dream that you could swing a sword-- to slice into hay and gain the strength to wield the sword-- that made it so worthwhile.

It was during another rowdy night with pirates, who didn't know how to respect others or understand the meaning of 'no', when you smashed someone's head with a wine bottle (that would be on their tab) and threw them from the counter with your own two hands. The pirates hooted and hollered, tipping you (drunkenly) for a good showing, and you hoped the owner wouldn't take the damages to the saloon door off your paycheck. (He would.)

Margarette, who had been one to easily ignore these drunkards, smirked in a way you associated with a mischievous cat. She leaned closer to you and asked you with twinkling green eyes when you were finally setting out on that adventure.

-

The problem with wanting to explore in a world where most of the planet was water, was that the main mode of transportation was by boat. Which you (1) had never ridden on, (2) did not have nor the money to buy one, and (3) were _ way _ too excited to try to sail.

Nonetheless, you started to save with a purpose, which was honestly easier said than done with your lack of clothes-- or anything, really. Still, you weren't one to lose hope, especially when every time you looked out toward the open sea, your heart quickened in anticipation.

You never thought yourself as a sailor before, but you never knew what could change.

After a month if penny-pinching, the local patrons of the bar ask you why you haven't set sail yet.

You blink and slow down your hands as you wipe down a glass jug.

You hadn't even realized they knew about your… plans.

"It's the only thing Margarette talks about these days," one of the older men joked and you silently berated her for being a surprising gossip.

"What's stopping you from taking off right now?" The second commented wryly, "I'm sure the bar will still be here when you come back."

"Oh, I know it will," you laugh, taking it in stride. "I just don't have a boat yet."

The third man, who had yet to speak, set down his glass and looked at you without changing his expression. "I have a dingy. You want it?"

Your boss, a middle aged man with peppered hair and a sharp tongue (when he's actually awake enough for it), overheard your conversation with Margarette later and all you heard him mutter under his breath was how strange the world worked sometimes.

And you agreed.

Not that you were questioning your luck.

You _ loved _ free stuff.

-

With an actual boat available, it was better late than never to learn how to navigate yourself through the ocean. In a pleasantly familiar way, you studied into the night about the basic nuances of navigation and the map of East Blue. For preparations sake, you also look up on ways to preserve food, and ask the local sailors how they would sail for days on end.

And it was the most excited you had ever been for a long time.

“When are you planning to go?” Margarette had asked, swinging her legs back and forth as she lay on her stomach in your bed. She watched you with amusement as you flittered back and forth in your room, trying to find the shirt you swore you placed in your closet.

“No clue,” you replied absently, feeling your panic grow the longer you couldn’t find-- you glanced at the bed and pulled the shirt from under Margarette, who only continued to flutter her eyes at you innocently. You glared at her as you folded the shirt. “I have to find the right time,” you said.

“Can’t find the right time to leave me?” Margarette whined, making you roll your eyes at her dramatics.

“Please,” you scoffed. “You were doing fine without me anyways! Besides, it’s not like I’ll leave forever.”

“Won’t you?”

You closed your closet door shut and turned to the older barmaid in the room. She looked at you unfalteringly.

You licked your lips nervously, though why you felt nervous, you couldn’t explain.

“Don’t know,” you responded. “I never really thought that far ahead,” you admitted, “or really thought about what’s out there.”

“I heard Boa Hancock is the most beautiful woman you could ever lay eyes on,” Margarette supplied with all the seriousness in the world, making you laugh and shove her shoulders playfully.

“Yeah, like that’s gonna be the first thing I want to see when I go out." You jumped onto the bed and folded your legs together. "Not like I’m gonna sail to the Grand Line right off the bat,” you replied dryly.

“But you will, won’t you?”

With a pang of your heart, you looked toward your friend again whose eyes softened like she already knew the answer.

You allowed a small smile to curve your lips upward. “Don’t know,” you said again. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

At the noncommittal response, Margarette cried out in exaggeration and rolled over until her legs were somehow sprawled over you. “My baby’s going to leave me the moment a man whisks her off her feet on an adventure!” She bemoaned, wiping away her crocodile tears. She whipped her red hair away from her face, making you take a whole mouthful of it. “Oh woest me, even worse, a _ woman _ that’s not me--!”

You spat out her hair and brushed away the strands that refused to come out, laughing. “Oh, come on, Margarette,” you said.

_"The fact you’re not denying it breaks my maiden heart--” _

“Don’t you have an early shift tomorrow?”

\--

The first time you set off to sea, you hadn't slept the entire night from excitement. You had laid out your outfit, the equipment you were going to bring, and the map that would guide you. Now the only thing that could stop you now was the weather (sunny, windy-- perfect) or the possibility that you would hurl the moment you stepped on the boat.

Before the sun could rise above your head, you leapt onto the boat and felt the breeze blow through your hair. You shakily untie the sails and watch in awe as it snaps taut with the wind and begin to move away from the dock.

You take a deep breath in. And out. Your feet were unsteady on moving water, but your head had never felt clearer.

"Did you make sure to say good-bye to Margarette?" One of the fishermen called out to you on his boat as you pass by, "You know she's stingy with the beer when she's upset."

You grinned when another boatsman looked to your small dingy in concern, asking you if you didn't actually want a crew to accompany you.

"Or just use our boat even!" Another man cries out in concern, recognizing him as the helmsman for the local merchant boat. He gets a friendly shove from that comment.

"And have her sink it? Bloody likely--"

"Any better than losing the funniest thing I've seen in Loguetown? Now that's a tragedy if I've heard of them, and I've heard plenty--"

And you laughed and laughed, listening to their friendly banter and cheerful goodbyes, not one of them truly doubting you, and all of them truly sore to see you leave. "I'll come back soon!" You paused. "Probably!" You yelled back jokingly, much to their chagrin.

At this point, the town was more of a fading speck in the distance, and you settled yourself standing next to the mast. You watched the ocean that was cool to the touch and not to be underestimated, and instead of the apprehension of being alone, you looked toward the horizon and felt freer than you've ever known.

\--

You did come back to Loguetown. Soon, as you promised. But you left again the weeks after, coming back, staying, and leaving again in a self-set pattern.

You wondered why the owner allowed you to come back when you infrequently worked at the bar, but when you asked Margarette she said that the bar had never been so full until you came back with stories to tell.

"As long as you make money for him, you can be gone as long as you want," Margarette drawled. "Not that I don't want you here, darlin'," she said, winking at you.

You noticed a few men falling over at her flirtatious manner, and you laughed, poured another drink, and walked to a buzzed crowd who were waiting for you to continue the story about the first time you tried to dock on an island (with all possible innuendos made).

You made for a good entertainer normally but it made it a lot easier when you had a lot of material to work with-- point in case, you. A willing audience made a good soundboard for your stories. Watching them react to certain things, knowing what details to add all for the sake of making your journal into something more.

"You want to write a book," Margarette said, though you were quite sure she intended it to be more of a question. You turned toward her, watching her play at the seams of your sheets before looking back to your desk.

"I won't publish anything," you explained, closing the bag you packed in preparation for the journey tomorrow. "It'll just be a recounting of my life… but better." You let out a huff of laughter. "I really doubt anyone would read something like that--"

"I would," she said.

You paused before closing your closet door, feeling your face redden in embarrassment. "I… You don't even know if I'm a good writer."

"But I know you have a way with words." Immediately after, she shook her head, waving her hands flippantly-- though as with everything else she did, it held a sense of elegance. "Let me rephrase that," Margarette said, propping herself up against your bedpost. "Most people hide behind their words. They use words and phrases to make themselves what they are not and convey something they don't feel." She pinned you down with her evergreen eyes. "You say what you mean, and you mean what you say, and that's something _ special _," she stressed.

"Your words are made of emotions. People would read your book and _ feel _something, and I think that's amazing." Margarette shrugged, eyes finally moving to the open window where the street lamps were slowly turning on.

You almost don't know what to say. (No one had ever said anything like that to you.)

"Doesn't that just make me really bad at lying?" You began teasingly when it seemed that Margarette was beginning to be somber.

And it worked after all, if she gave you a smile, though with a twinge of wistfulness. She replied, "That's not really a bad thing, is it?"

\--

You left a note for Margarette the next morning in lieu of a physical farewell. She had had the night shift the hours before, and you said your "_see you soon's _" the night before so you thought it best to let her sleep. Though, if she did end up being stingy with the beer, you supposed it would be your fault.

You silently apologized to the daily visitors as you watched Loguetown shrink in the distance.

The greatness of East Blue came from its calm seas and pleasant winds, and you got to experience it first-hand. Very rarely did you ever encounter unpredictable weather or uncontrollable storms. Thus, it made sense that you rarely met with any dangerous sea monsters as well, though it seemed that this would be your lucky day.

And by lucky, you really meant the opposite.

You dragged your little boat through the sand of an unknown shore, drenched from top to bottom. Your sword was by your hip, but you had sacrificed your shield to whatever sea creature had just tried to take a nasty bite out of your precious dingy you nicknamed Pete. (Not the most dramatic name, but it wasn't exactly a dramatic boat.) You vindictively hoped the gigantic, two-set teeth eel had received a generous enough warning from you to stay away.

Your sigh was excessively loud as you peeled off your wet socks and settled for going barefoot for the rest of your journey.

You realized after a few minutes of grumbling that your shield was probably not the most important thing you lost. A wet map-- _ a wet, unreadable, ink-bled map _\-- was as good as having no map at all.

Resisting the very real urge to scream, you headed toward the dock to which you would hopefully find nice people and get your hands on a map and a shield and hopefully some good food-- or else you'd swim back into the ocean and eat that eel raw.

(You somehow feel like it’s the karma for making Margarette upset.)

-

"You're at Dawn Island," the bartender whom you should have recognized earlier as Makino replied to you. After all, who else would have the patience of a saint and the countenance of an older sister with _ green hair? (_You really ought to be more observant.)

"More specifically, Windmill Village," she explained. "You'll probably be able to get more equipment in Goa Kingdom. I'm afraid we don't have much to offer aside from ale and warm food." The contrast between your terrible day and the smile she gave you was almost enough to make you cry.

As if in a gesture of mercy from the world, you do not.

Makino had been kind enough to hang your clothes dry outside, lending you a green blouse and a long skirt. You thanked her, heaving a sigh as you sipped at the water she placed in front of you after your meal. (This, at the very least, you could pay for.) Looking up from your glass, you almost blush when you realize she’s been looking at you with wide eyes and a smile teeming with questions.

You began to stammer, “I--”

“Did you sail to this island by yourself?” Makino asked, absently wiping a mug with a towel as she spoke.

“I did,” you replied. “I usually plan my trips pretty well so I know where I'm going but, uh, some sea monster came--”

“Oh! You met with our Lord of the Coast?” She gasped in surprise before her easy smile appeared again. “You must be very strong to fight back against him.”

“No, I-- I really shouldn’t have been thrown overboard by him,” you grumbled. “I wouldn’t have had so much trouble if I wasn’t so surprised.”

You realized too late when Makino laughs that it sounded as if you were making excuses, and you blushed this time around, sighing and burying your face into your arms.

“Sorry, sorry!” She apologized, though she continued to giggle when you frowned (read: pouted) at her. “It’s just-- you remind me of someone I know.” At this, you perked up. Makino grinned at you. “You might actually meet him on your way up to Goa Kingdom, if you go through Mt. Colubo. I think he’d love to meet an adventurer like you!”

You put your chin on your propped hands and couldn’t help the endeared smile that found its way onto your face. “Who?” You asked, though you were already starting to grin at what you knew to be the answer.

And Makino smiled in a way that made her dimples show and her eyes gleam. “His name is Luffy,” she said with all the adoration in the world. “He always wears a straw hat-- and he’s quite loud, so I doubt you would be able to miss him if you do cross paths.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” you replied, letting your heart beat in anticipation of meeting the Future Pirate King.

\--

With a sword in hand, you trudged up the hills of Mt. Colubo once your clothes dried. Makino had prepped you with information about the mountain and about the dubious people you could meet in Goa Kingdom. It especially helped knowing that there were wild beasts loose in the mountains to look out for, though the thought of meeting said wild beasts was enough to make you breathe quietly in hopes of avoiding them. And hopefully, you would hear them coming before they see you.

You followed the beaten path, watching your steps carefully, when you heard a loud crack above you. You instinctively ducked. You looked up frantically as if something would drop down and attack you and sighed in relief once you saw nothing in the trees.

You dusted your pants and then looked up, only to see a _ giant rhinoceros _ with horns the size of your head huffing and rearing up as if it was ready to charge. You stared at it with wide eyes, screaming inwardly on how you could have possibly missed seeing that. (Why, oh, _ why _did you throw your shield at the Lord of the Coast?)

_ “What the shit--” _

You barely get the words from your mouth when you’re mauled by-- not the giant rhino in front of you, but something else with rubbery arms and black hair. (Any other time, you would have recognized the man as none other than Monkey D. Luffy, but unfortunately you were preoccupied by the pain that spiked through you as you rolled down the hill and into a pile of dead leaves, cursing at every bump.) Once you finally stopped at the bottom of the slope, you groaned, though your series of pained profanity was muffled by loud laughter of the person that fell with you.

You glanced down at the persons whose legs you were entangled with and stared openly at the red vest he wore, straw hat on his head, and the crescent-shaped scar below his eye. Instead of the spew of stammered admiration or a coherent and witty introduction, all you could say was “Why on God's green earth is there a rhino that big?"

At this, Luffy only continued to snicker, not noticing-- or more likely, ignoring-- the raging animal that was not happy his prey had tried to run from him. Spitting out another curse just for good measure, you quickly get up on your feet and grabbed his wrist before running through the bushes you hoped wouldn’t make you itch. Your attempts to remain calm were thrown out the window immediately after you hear a loud roar followed by the sound of a tree falling.

You screamed as you ran.

All the while, Luffy laughed, not at all concerned by the danger you were in as you dragged him away (though you were pretty sure Luffy could have handled this fine on his own). “Why are you laughing?” You cried out, glancing back at him and thinking better of it when you see the rhino not that far off.

“You’re pretty funny!” He said, and you know without looking that he was grinning from ear to ear.

“Thank you!” You screeched in sync with the rhino, “I’m glad you think this is funny!”

Together, the both of you leapt over a fallen tree trunk and continued to run.

“Wow, you run pretty fast,” he commented. And before you could snap back that there was a _ rhino loose in the jungle, _he announced happily, “Join my crew!”

And your brain short-circuited.

The thing was: Luffy asked people to join his crew all the time. It was a running gag at this point-- that Luffy would immediately ask someone or _something_ to be a part of his crew simply because they were "interesting." You supposed your meeting with him was unique; it wasn't everyday you met someone in the middle of a mountain range and almost get mauled by a rhino. Even now, you're running away with Luffy, dragging him by his rubbery hands, so it was only natural that Luffy would find this situation absolutely hilarious and ask you to join. It wasn't anything that _special _(or so you tell yourself).

But still, you stumbled. It wasn't everyday someone you admired from afar invited you to be a part of his story.

For the one moment your brain shut down, you tripped over a jutting tree root and brought Luffy down with you.

“_What?” _ You asked in disbelief, after you had finally stopped at the bottom of the hill. You stared at the rubber boy as he sat up into crouching position, his grin never wavering. “Join your-- I-I don’t even know who you are!” You retorted in vain as that was neither true nor convincing.

With his signature snicker (_shi shi shi), _Luffy got up without a word, reminding you that this was really not the time to be flabbergasted, even if you had finally met the most important person in this world. (As a writer and a fan, you were having a field-day. As a relatively normal person, you were going insane.)

"I think you're cool, so you should join my crew!" He explained, though he didn't really clarify anything for you. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy!” He grinned, placing his hand on his hat with an unwavering smile on his face as you watched in awe. “I’m the man who’s going to be Pirate King!”

You let out a sound of growing dread when you hear a familiar growl. You saw the rhino rear its horn and sprint toward you, finally making Luffy turn around and look at the three-hundred pound danger.

“Oh, it’s Mr. Rhino, huh? I’ve been trying to eat him for days,” Luffy commented nonchalantly. Before you had a chance to react, he wrapped an arm around you six-fold, to which you screamed at. (You knew he was made of rubber but seeing it in person was… horrifying.) When the shock subsided, you looked at him in question, only to have your face slowly morph into an expression of horror when you watch him stretch his other arm to grab onto a faraway branch.

And your mind quickly flashed through the times Zoro, Chopper, Usopp suffered through his antics, and though you never believed in any deity, you prayed that you wouldn't die.

"Wait," you weakly protested, pulling at his arm, "Luffy--"

"_Gomu gomu no…" _

"No!" You shrieked, as your body lifted from the ground and accelerated to rocket speed.

_ "Slingshot!"_

-

No one actually died from being man-handled by Luffy, but _ by God, _did it hurt. You spat out the leaves from your mouth and clung onto the strong branch that you threw yourself against.

“Can you use that?”

You turned your head toward Luffy who pointed at the sword at your hip. You blinked, the pain slowly subsiding. “Yeah,” you started hesitantly, “Why?”

He grinned, and you didn’t know whether your heart skipped a beat because his smile was so bright or just because you were now trained to recognize when that grin meant he was planning something bat-shit crazy. “I’ll distract him, so help me out, okay?” He said, then before you could even process what he said, he leapt down and called out to the rhino that would have lost them if he hadn’t attracted his attention.

With a feeling like you were watching a train wreck, you followed after Luffy as he jumped up and down like a monkey, leading the rhino right up to him and right under you. You huffed, not seeing any choice in the matter and unsheathed your sword, gripping it with both of your hands.

Counting down in your head, the moment the rhino was in your line of sight, you shouted at Luffy to move. The moment you saw him step to the side, you leapt off the branch, using the centripetal force of your somersaults to propel yourself down to bury your sword into the neck of the rhinoceros. You quickly jumped off from its body before you fell with it, and a resounding crash from behind you told you it was safe to sheath your sword.

You felt yourself flush when Luffy stares at you in awe and celebrates your resounding victory. "That was cool!" He exclaimed, "You're definitely joining my crew now!"

This time, you grinned with the adrenaline coursing through you, making the scratches on your arms and the bruises on your legs feel like they weren’t there. _ " _I never said I would!" You told him lightly, making him pout. “But, you mentioned something about eating him?” You jutted your thumb toward the incapacitated rhinoceros and watches as Luffy widened his eyes in excitement.

You watched with an exasperated smile as he danced around the rhino, drooling, fantasizing about the taste of the roasted meat. You were used to just watching him-- not up-front like this, but through the screens of your laptop. To think he would offer you the chance to be a part of his adventure instead of the side-lines cheering for him…

You didn’t know what to say. (But you definitely knew what you _ wanted _to say.)

You knew as far as his journey went, he gathered the right crewmates, made the right friends, and sailed through the ocean without a hitch. (You thought of Ace and Sabaody Archipelago, but they were obstacles that he would overcome.) Without you as his crewmate, he would be fine-- you knew that for certain.

But still, his complete trust in you, a stranger he had barely met, made you feel like you were flying on cloud nine. And you wondered just how much trust he would put in you once you actually became one of his crewmates.

"This is going to taste so good," he replied, distracting you from your thoughts. He looked back at you with an easy grin and the words you meant to say disappeared. "You wanna eat?"

You never thought of saying ‘no.’

\--

Your legs itched. And there were bugs everywhere. You told Luffy just as much on the way to Goa Kingdom, who only laughed and waved it off, bringing his arms behind his head as he sang an island song. Funny reminders of Sky Island otherwise, you stared at him as you walked side-by-side, wondering if it was a good idea to bring him along.

Not that he would have given you the choice, anyhow, knowing how stubborn he could be.

“You know where I could get a good shield?” You asked, avoiding a puddle that looked like blood. You stepped beyond the gates of Goa Kingdom and glanced at a man in subtle derision as he dumped bags of trash into Grey Terminal. You turned back in time to hear Luffy respond.

“Hm…” He said thoughtfully, “Nope!”

You caught yourself before you could trip.

“The middle of the town might have something like that,” Luffy continued, grinning. “Dunno if they have shield and stuff, but they have a lot of stores.”

You sighed at the vague answers and looked around, taking in the cobblestone streets and clean buildings of Town Center, bordering High Town. You thought about buying a map at the cartographer, but the problem was the shield, as you wouldn't think most people in this kingdom would use weapons, asides from the soldiers.

You turned around to say just as much when you bump into someone with your shoulders. You faced forward, your mouth already open with an apology when the person who you bumped into speaks first.

“You have a lot of nerve running into me,” the lady simpered, making your lips purse indignantly just from the blatant disrespect. “Don’t you know who I am?” She turned her nose at you, covering her mouth behind a purple fan that matched her equally purple dress. You frowned.

“Sorry,” you told her blandly, trying to curb the coldness in your voice. You glanced up at her defiantly. You were normally so obedient to authority, but you supposed some things had to change. “I’m new in town.”

You looked down warily at her feet, following the leash that she held in her hands, expecting a small, prissy dog to start barking at you like its owner. When you saw that there was a _ person _attached to that leash, you froze in place.

Your mind reeled, not really able to comprehend what you were seeing. A label was at the tip of your tongue, but you couldn’t bear to think that--

_ Was he a-- _

When the noble lady narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, she tugged the leash along without care, pulling the man with it. He let out a muffled groan, and the collar of bombs that held him down clinked with the chains he was bound by, and you felt small. You realized that it may have been rude or demeaning for him to have you just watching him, but you felt that this was the equivalent of watching a guillotine fall for a slaughter-- a brutal and inhumane scene.

“I expected a better apology,” she demanded, though your head spun as you stared at the man, unable to tear your eyes away. “I’m much too important to be inconvenienced by someone who doesn’t even know how to respect those better than her,” she said, glaring at you when you didn’t respond. “Are you listening to me?”

_ I’m disgusted by you, _ you thought abruptly, finally switching your attention onto the noble woman who looked taken aback. _ Do you fear being inferior so much that you feel the need to own another person to be superior? _And you supposed the message was conveyed because the noblewoman took a step back, threatened.

“You-- you dare defy me?” She seethed, raising her hand, whether to strike you or point at you accusingly, you didn’t know. All you saw was her careless gestures and the way the man was being dragged around as a result, and you made up your mind.

You bowed deeply, avoiding whatever gesture she threw at you. “I apologize!” You said, “It was not my intention to offend you, my lady. It’s just-- from where I come from, I had never seen such… beauty and power in one woman before. I was overwhelmed; I hope you can find it in your greatness to forgive me.”

At your begging, the noblewoman preened. “Well,” she said, “I suppose since I’m in a good mood, I’ll forgive you today. After all, anger does nothing for the complexion, especially on such an occasion as this!”

“Is there a party, my lady?”

She glanced over at you again with such disdain, you struggled to keep the smile on your face.

“Well, of course you wouldn’t know about that, would you? It’s a ball at the Louvre-- only the richest and most beautiful of people can attend,” she fluttered her lashes. “Like me!”

“Of-- _Of course,_ my lady…”

“I’ll best be off now-- come, you useless thing,” she barked, and your eyes immediately went to the man who winced under her ministrations. “The ball is soon and there is no time to waste.” And with her nose held up high, she walked down the clean streets, demanding respect from all those she passed by.

You waited until she rounded the corner, and then some, before you clench your fist and let your anger wash over you like a heavy wave. You turned around to Luffy who had looked on with a befuddled expression.

“Hey, Luffy,” you started innocently, “you busy later?”

“Uh, no?” He responded, putting a hand on his hat. “Why?” Immediately after, he blinked and grinned, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “You got a plan in mind?”

You returned that gleam with a smirk. “How do you feel about stealing?”

-

PIrates stole things-- that’s just what they did.

You certainly weren’t a pirate (not yet, anyhow), but when it comes to whoever was less moral at the moment, the noblewoman you had met definitely took the cake. If it came down between slavery and kidnapping, you would do with the lesser evil.

Though, you’re more afraid now that you were going to end up dying before even reaching the hotel that the ball was taking place.

“_Luffy,” _ you whispered angrily, when you saw him knock over a metal bucket and some other things that made _ way _ too much noise at night. “I thought you said you could be sneaky!”

“I never said that!” He replied quietly but with just as much indignance. He kicked his legs out until the pot on his foot got dislodged. You closed your eyes to ask for patience when you heard the clay pots crack on the side of the road. “I said I can steal things, not steal them sneakily!”

“Don’t those things go hand-in-hand?” You asked desperately, watching as he brushed off the dust off his vest.

At that he laughed. “Nah, I usually do a dine-and-dash, or people see me right away.”

“_What kind of pirate--” _

You hushed up immediately, pushing Luffy against the wall with you when you saw someone light up their hotel room from above you. The more you were here, the more you felt like a criminal-- which you were going to be very soon. Maybe it was because Luffy was with you, but you felt more empowered to be bad to do good things. If that wasn’t some chaotic good vibes, you didn’t know what it’d be.

You could say you were inspired.

Or you could say you had never felt so enraged in your entire life, because that worked too.

“By the way, what was with earlier?” Luffy asked, once you peered upwards and sighed in relief. You looked at him with confusion. “You were acting all weird with that lady,” he grouched. “I was going to punch her but you surprised me so much I forgot to do it.”

At this, you laughed out loud, only to cut yourself off immediately, remembering where you were and why you were hiding in the first place. You snickered when he slanted his eyebrows and frowned in thought. “I wanted her to tell me where she was going,” you said, “so we could take that person back to his home.”

You were ready to go on an entire tirade on how you felt; it was hard keeping it in it was, seeing before your very eyes, the existence of slavery and the corruption that laid bare for all to see. It was heart-wrenching and infuriating, but you didn’t need to explain to Luffy that you hated slavery to its very core and that watching someone be controlled by another person’s whims made you want to cry.

That one sentence was all he needed.

You felt a rush of appreciation for him when he simply nods. “Got it,” he reaffirmed. “Let’s go break him out.”

\--

You didn’t have the most concrete plan. After all, you only collected one important detail from your horrendous acting and that was the location of the hotel the ball was held and consequently, where she stayed as well.

As you hugged Luffy’s back and hung onto his neck as he scaled the building, you felt a growing dread tell you that maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Which was bad, considering your only company was Luffy; you really should have been the one with _ some _ semblance of foresight.

“Not this window,” you told him, when you passed by another room with riches and jewels but no slave. You could only hope that you would find the man you saw earlier through this method. If he had been taken with the noble lady to be shown off, there was no way you would be able to find him without making a scene. Though, you knew that if it came down to it, you would do it regardless of how it looked.

Must be the Luffy-influence for you to be this reckless.

And when you looked into the top window and saw the man in chains, you wondered if Luffy’s luck could rub off on you too.

\--

You could get the man out soon enough. The sight of seeing him in the room alone, without food or drink, was enough to make your blood boil, but the fear in his eyes-- not for himself, but for you-- only solidified your need to make sure he left from this place a free man.

“We’re not goin’ anywhere without you, old man,” Luffy said, shutting down any arguments the man had left. “She’s already made up her mind, so we’re not going to give up until you’re out of here.”

“He’s right,” you said, repressing the bubble of laughter that rose up at the thought that Luffy knew you so well already. You threw clothes from the closet and searched every pocket for the key to his collar, making a mess out of everything, but _ well, _ that hardly mattered now. “Do you know where she put the key?”

“She always keeps it on her,” the man said sadly. “Honest, I’m thankful for your help but--”

“Alright, where is she?” Luffy interrupted, cracking his knuckles, already ready for a fight.

Before you can even register the danger that was involved or the exposure that consisted of crashing a ball, you said, “There should be a ball in the bottom-most floor of this hotel.” You looked at the man whose eyes widened. “Right?”

_“Yosh_, I’ll go,” Luffy said, but before he could leap out the window, you pulled on his arm and watched in slight fascination as it stretched. (It never gets old.) He frowned and you let his arm snap back now that you had his attention. The two of you both blatantly ignored the shocked gasp that the man let out when he realized that Luffy had a devil fruit power. “What?”

There were plenty of questions you could have asked, some that you knew the man would have liked to ask too. They would have been reasonable ones, like “how are you planning on taking it from her?” or “are you sure you want to do this?” or even “are you _ crazy _?”

But all you did was give him a slight deadpan and asked, “Do you even remember what she looked like?”

The man choked on his spit.

“Don’t worry! She was wearing the, uh, something purple dress, right?”

“You do realize people change clothes?” You couldn’t help shaking your head, but you there was no part of you that wanted to stop him from going. “At least dress up! So they won’t recognize you.”

He made a face at the suggestion as he looked at the dresses on the floor. “Dress up into what?”

Just at that moment, the door to the room opened after a quick knock, and the three of you stared frozenly at the butler that entered the room. It took a good moment before anyone said anything, but one look at Luffy and before the butler could scream, he was knocked out with a single punch. (Talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time.)

You dragged his body into the room and shut the door, wheezing at the adrenaline rush and the scare of a lifetime. You pointed at the butler’s clothes. “That’s your costume,” you told Luffy, who made a similar face as last time, but at the very least, these weren’t feminine clothes. You watched him peel off the butler’s clothes and wear them, “And try not to cause too much chaos,” you said, knowing full well that would never happen.

-

You relief that rushed through you when the key matched the lock on the collar was insurmountable. When the collar fell harmlessly, you couldn’t help looking toward Luffy, and the two of you grinned at each other.

“You _ have _to join my crew now,” he said, quickly shedding the tie and shimmying out of the black slacks.

“Is breaking a person out of slavery some sort of initiation?” you joked, holding the man’s hands as he held onto you like a lifeline. You flinched when you heard a noise outside the door that you barricaded. From the sound of it, it looked as if an entire army was behind that door, ready to kill the butler that searched up people’s skirts and broke the million beli chandelier. You had known Luffy wouldn't be able to remember who the noble lady even was, so he frisked practically every person he came across-- regardless of gender. You would have reprimanded him, though if you were honest, you probably wouldn't be able to recognize her either, so it was all fair game.

“Make sure you follow the shore,” you told the man gently, “you’ll find my sailboat there, so get away as fast as you can." You ripped off a piece of the map from the wall and handed it to him. "Head up north and you’ll hit Shells Town-- that’s the closest island from here.”

“I cannot thank you two enough,” he whispered with tears in his eyes.

“Don’t mention it, old man!” Luffy said, grinning.

You smiled, opening your mouth to say something when you heard the sound of gunshots outside the door. “Let’s get out of here!” You exclaimed, scrambling to your feet.

You watched as Luffy carefully carried the man to the bottom floor, and you put your foot on the window, ready to climb down after them. But at the last moment, you turned around, grabbed the shield off the wall and the map-- because a ripped map was better than no map at all-- and then _ finally _ followed after Luffy.

Stealing decorations from a hotel room and releasing a slave-- you ran at Luffy’s back as the two of you snickered, the laughter contagious, as you run through the night without being seen (for once). Throughout it all, you kept glancing back at Luffy, whose hat never fell and whose grin never faltered even for a moment.

\--

“I'll decide when you get to Loguetown,” you said the morning after the heist. You absentmindedly drew in the sand with a stick.

Luffy looked up from chewing his bone (boar this time) and blinked at you. _ “Whu?” _He asked through his food.

You grinned and playfully pulled at nose to which he made a face at but was overall relatively unbothered. "I mean, when you set sail from here, if you decide you still want me on your crew... come by Loguetown and I'll tell you my decision," you said, tossing the stick elsewhere as you stood.

At this, he made a sound of protest. "You're not going to join my crew now?" Luffy complained, jaw dropping. "Why not?"

"You haven’t even set sail yet,” you retort quickly, before you shake your head and try to start over.

“And besides, I can't be your first mate," you said instead. "Or your second, third…" You counted in your head the number of East Blue members he had in the crew. "I think 5th would be nice, so I’d be the 6th member..." you trailed off before you snapped back to reality. You blushed as you saw Luffy's smile grew wider and you stammered, "But only a maybe--!"

"_Yosh! _I'll pick you up at Loguetown so wait for me!" Luffy exclaimed, pumping his hand in the air.

“Are you even listening to me?” You protested. You watched as he celebrated and tried to hide your glee behind your hand, wondering if it was alright to tell him 'maybe' when you were sure the both of you knew you wanted to say "yes."

-

You found yourself once again at the Party Bar, but this time there were some locals who came by to drink. You sat at the counter again, checking yourself once over to make sure your new shield and old sword were attached to you. You looked up again when Makino came out from the kitchen with a large bag of food for the road-- or in this case, for the seas.

"Thank you for all the help, Makino," you said warmly. You set down a few pieces of coins in exchange. "For the food, clothes and everything else. I would have been stranded here if it weren't for you!"

At this, the bartender laughed. "It's not a problem! I was happy to ask the others if they could sell a boat, although…" Makino looked at you with a twinkle in her eyes and a knowing smile. "I wonder what happened to your boat."

You thought about the freed man from yesterday whom you allowed to take your boat and then looked at Makino with a shrug. "Who knows," you replied, "maybe it got stolen."

Makino giggled, putting her hand to her hip, knowing full well how well-hidden the ship was and how little it was worth to most other people. "Oh my, seems like this island's been nothing but trouble for you," she teased.

"Yeah, I guess so," you said thoughtfully, looking back at the tall mounds of Mt. Colubo and the deceptively bright towers of Goa Kingdom. And soon, you would leave this island and go back to Loguetown where one day Luffy would arrive. "Not everything's been bad though," you commented.

Reading you like the back of her hand, or really, just understanding the impact Luffy has on others, her smile never wavered. "Met some good people, I assume," she said.

"You never told me he was made out of rubber," you accused. Her smile widened.

Makino saw you set sail at dawn with laughter in her voice, and you waved at her until the windmill looked more and more like a pinwheel in the distance. You looked toward the open sea and felt your heart beat steadily, waiting for the day your life would change for good.


End file.
